Wisconsin Hatred of MU

[WarriorHal]

I was reading the comments in the JS after Todd Rosiak's story on yesterday's basketball game and was somewhat struck by the incredible level of venom being spewed by Wisconsin fans toward Marquette. They seem to have an overwhelming, obsessive hatred of this relatively small private Catholic school. They put down the team, the school, the students...everything. And that's after they won the game and should be happy!

I graduated from MU in the late 70s and have lived in the NY-DC areas ever since, so I'm totally out of the loop. I'm not from Wisconsin, so I suppose I never paid much attention to the rivalry. McGuire's teams used to beat the Badgers (a second-division Big 10 team back then) twice a season and fellow Catholic independent ND was our real rival. So fast-fowarding to the present day, why does this huge tax-payer funded public institution have this all-consuming hatred of little private Marquette?

[4everwarriors]

Harold, I guess what goes around, comes around.

[shiloh26]

Harold, I guess what goes around, comes around.

I watched the game at State Street Brats in my finest gold student section t-shirt, and my only brief bit of laughter that game came when, I think it was DJO, but I don't remember, quickly fouled on an inbounds play under our basket close to the end of the game. Some 40 something sitting at the next booth who looked a lot like Bruciewitz (sp?) commented that he should be tossed out of the game for something like that.  Me and my friend, also in his gold, simultaneously stood up and said, "Really?", and he's like, "oh it was intentional, Marquette is such a punk team."  Nevermind the fact that we were clearly fouling to stretch the clock, and that the game was played very cleanly by all the players on both sides.

Anecdotal? Sure. But, yeah, they really don't like us.

[jficke13]

I was reading the comments in the JS

1st mistake: the comments on JSonline (really the comments on any website, but that one specifically) are absolutely ludicrous.

[GGGG]

My experience is that outside of the diehards, many UW fans will root for, or least not root against MU if it doesn't affect the Badgers.  I can't say the same in reverse.

[augoman]

seriously, Sultan, I have not experienced that.  In fact, all those years when MU had great success, the recognition from UW-Madison fans came grudgingly.  And this was at a time when Madison had neither a good bball nor a good ftball team.  They are peculiar in that Madison 'fans' will belittle whomever they are playing, rather than cheering for their own team.  It's always "you suck"..., not "we're great".  I've never been able to understand it. 

[MUfan12]

My experience is that outside of the diehards, many UW fans will root for, or least not root against MU if it doesn't affect the Badgers.  I can't say the same in reverse.

Yeah, mine's the opposite as well. Actually, the ones who are the most respectful are the ones who attended Madison. It's all the other UW-Hyphen alums that hate MU. I don't know if it's an anti-private, or anti-Catholic thing, but it's bad.

The UW fans I encountered on Saturday were pretty representative of their fanbase. Drunk, obnoxious, and arrogant.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

I'm from the Appleton area. Watching the game against the Badgers each December in a bar is always problematic. Open jeers. These people think of Marquette fans as snobbish, wealthy, elitist. Think of it as our perception of Notre Dame fans, only hopefully a less legitimate perception...

Oh, and to add to MUfan12's new post, yes... I doubt any of the obnoxious trash I see jeering Marquette and its fans while I'm up north has actually gone to Madison. The bars are usually filled with UW-0 (sic) graduates and the like, if they've even gone to college to begin with.

[MoreDJsPlz]

This is why it sucks to lose to Wisconsin.  Maybe someone should have told the players.

[chapman]

Oh, and to add to MUfan12's new post, yes... I doubt any of the obnoxious trash I see jeering Marquette and its fans while I'm up north has actually gone to Madison. The bars are usually filled with UW-0 (sic) graduates and the like, if they've even gone to college to begin with.

This is exactly what it is.  The people who were too dumb to get into Madison (or MU), lived in Wisconsin all their life and need a D1 team to root for are the biggest idiots.  Most of the people who went to UW are just apathetic when it comes to Marquette; more MU alumni hate UW than the reverse.

[mu_hilltopper]

This is why it sucks to lose to Wisconsin. 

+infinity trillion

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Am I the only one who actually likes Wisconsin's basketball program? Not a big fan of their football team, but I've always liked Bo Ryan. Of course, some of their fans are a-holes, but it's hard not to like the team I saw on Saturday.

[TallTitan34]

Did anyone else see the guy in the red shirt that said without censorsing "EAT SH!T" on the front and "F&%K YOU" on the back?

[BrewCity83]

Am I the only one who actually likes Wisconsin's basketball program? 

Yes.  You are the only one.

[MUfan12]

Am I the only one who actually likes Wisconsin's basketball program? Not a big fan of their football team, but I've always liked Bo Ryan. Of course, some of their fans are a-holes, but it's hard not to like the team I saw on Saturday.

Fan of traditional basketball?

[tower912]

A little rivalry would have been welcome.   I was stuck watching the game with my wife and mother in law, except of course when I had to run out to get tower jr's birthday cake during halftime and into early in the second half.   

[muwarrior87]

A little rivalry would have been welcome.   I was stuck watching the game with my wife and mother in law, except of course when I had to run out to get tower jr's birthday cake during halftime and into early in the second half.   

Couldn't have the women get jr's cake??

[tower912]

The weather was iffy and by the time they would have dithered out the details I would have had to kill myself.

[jficke13]

Am I the only one who actually likes Wisconsin's basketball program? Not a big fan of their football team, but I've always liked Bo Ryan. Of course, some of their fans are a-holes, but it's hard not to like the team I saw on Saturday.

it's just you and a legion of UW-notmadison people.

[jficke13]

Did anyone else see the guy in the red shirt that said without censorsing "EAT SH!T" on the front and "F&%K YOU" on the back?

that's a big freshman/not-freshman cheer at football games; because, you know, they're classy like that.

[4everwarriors]

Am I the only one who actually likes Wisconsin's basketball program? Not a big fan of their football team, but I've always liked Bo Ryan. Of course, some of their fans are a-holes, but it's hard not to like the team I saw on Saturday.

Word, Rican. Ryan has built a hell of a program at UW, and everywhere else he's been before that. Fans of college basketball can appreciate a well coached, well executing team, regardless of style.

[IAmMarquette]

I've got no beef with the program. I could do without the more vocal contingent of their fans.

[chren21]

that's a big freshman/not-freshman cheer at football games; because, you know, they're classy like that.

Section O vs. section P at the Football games yell this.  The shirts are sold all over campus.

Response to the other comment above.  I hate their Bball program, but the local rivalry is really fantastic.

[MUBurrow]

I've got no beef with the program. I could do without the more vocal contingent of their fans.

Yeah that's kind of my thinking, but have to say that it translates into beef with the program for me. I just cant separate the two.  The positive feedback loop of Bo recruiting 6-5 guys from Black River Falls with names like Chet or Aiden, and no discernible basketball skills but free throw shooting and ball control, only to be told by some rodent fan that dropped out of Stout about how happy he is with who plays for Wisconsin and that he thinks MU is snobby, and elitist with a hood bball team is all too much.

[rugbydrummer]

Not to completely stir the pot on this issue; is there a similar rivalry between, say, Indiana & ND per chance?  I'm skeptical only because I feel like I would have heard more about it previously, but I would be curious to know. 

It is just a shame more local folks don't pull for MU, but i suppose it totally makes sense for anyone that went to UW system to schools to be UW Madison sports fans.... and there's many more collective cumulative alum of those systems than of MU, unfortunately.